Right, but based on his statement in that environment, the odds are strongly that Dan doesn't know what the command line is. It's true that there's an outside

Right, but based on his statement in that environment, the odds are strongly that Dan doesn't know what the command line is. It's true that there's an outside chance that Carol's comment would be helpful given unlikely circumstances, but it's more likely that Carol's feigned surprise will make Dan feel stupid for not knowing. People don't need to say the first thing that pops into their mind just because it's their genuine reaction. When I hear people say things that sound stupid, I don't say, "Wow, I think you're stupid," even though there's an outside chance that the person I'm speaking to takes odd pleasure in people thinking they're stupid.[0] If my first thought is insulting or rude, I can think for a few more milliseconds and think of a response that achieves my goal while reducing the risk of insulting the person I'm speaking to. [0] https://danluu.com/look-stupid/ https://danluu.com/look-stupid/